Signorina Misteriosa

I first reviewed Signorina Misteriosa on 8/17/2021. I just tried this fragrance again, and my experience with it was so different I wanted to write an updated review. I was looking through a box of handbags I don't use, and found one I carried often, years ago. I decided check to see if there was anything inside. The last time I took this handbag anywhere was to my pre-Covid job, in the Fall of 2019. In one of the side pockets, I found a half full travel spray bottle of Signorina Misteriosa. I laughed out loud. I felt like an archaeologist. "Behold! A precious relic from the Pre-Covid Era." How different my life had been, back when I was wearing this scent. My last impressions of Signorina Misteriosa were that it had been a disappointment. I bought it for the blackberry, but found it lacking the fruity notes I had been anticipating. Or rather the fruit notes that were there were being drowned out by a soapy, fabric softener presence. Despite all of that, I thought- why not test it again? I sprayed. Holy cats... there was the fruit! A big hit of dark berries- blackberries and blueberries, mixed. I was reminded of the blackberry syrup on the tables at the International House of Pancakes. And- as I am a gourmand lover- that is a good thing! The fruit was now so prominent, I was amazed I hadn't detected it before. It was like Signorina Misteriosa had read my previous review and said "Hardly any fruit, huh?" then conjured all the berry notes it could, and infused this travel size with them. What had started me off wanting to purchase this fragrance initially was that I got a sample of it, years ago, in another fragrance order. I ended up liking the sample of Signorina Misteriosa more than the full bottle of fragrance I had ordered. It was a gourmand, but a dark gourmand. It was very fruity, a dark berry syrupy scent, with just a touch of patchouli to drape a plush layer of black velvet beneath the fruity sweetness. I had to have more. I ordered the travel size immediately, then soon after ordered a 3.4 ounce bottle. With this most recent testing, it seemed like either my perception of the scent had changed, or the scent itself had altered over the years. I wondered if the full bottle, which had been in my crisper drawer in my refrigerator all these years, had also changed. I tested the big bottle on my other arm, and waited. The sweet fruitiness in the larger bottle was definitely now more prominent to my nose than the soapy freshness of the fabric softener. How had this fragrance changed so completely? When I write reviews for Fragrantica, I try to be as accurate as I can be when testing a fragrance. I swatch every fragrance twice, once in the morning and once in the evening, and record how long it wears. I never test a fragrance if I have any trace of allergies, or other stuffy nose situation. I write down the notes as they appear during both testings, then contrast them with the notes listed by the manufacturer. This is why I was so surprised. How could two experiences with the same fragrance be so divergent? When I reviewed Signorina Misteriosa before, it was as if I had tried on a completely different fragrance. Fragrances, of course, are never exactly the same, even when sprayed on the same day. But this- it was like night and day. Signorina Misteriosa may have been a flop before, but I'm really enjoying it now. It's bursting full of luscious blackberry. The vanilla is creamy- very prominent in the dry-down- something else I hadn't perceived before. Maybe the little unassuming black handbag quietly possesses the hidden power to make fragrances more fruity smelling---? More likely, the cause of this disparity was due to not wearing gourmand fragrances over the past six months. My nose's cognizance of the sweetness levels of perfumes had altered over time. I still love sweet fragrances, but lately have been exploring fresher, herbal scents. I've been mainly wearing my mother's signature perfume, Ma Griffe, as well as Valentino's Rosa Verde. Ma Griffe has a citrus aspect to it, and on me dries down a bit sweet, but it is most definitely not a gourmand fragrance. I remembered I had gone through a phase back in 2019-2021 when it seemed like I couldn't find a fragrance that was sweet enough for me- and I own some VERY sweet scents. At different phases in my life I have worn Estee Lauder's Azuree (original formula), Presciptives' Calyx, Lancome's O, Ma Griffe of course, and briefly Bobbi Brown's original scent- the pale green one with the silver top, that seems to have vanished from the face of the planet. And so- our tastes change, and evolve. Reinforced by this lost-and-found encounter with a previously "rejected" fragrance was the dictum of: if I am seized by the mood to get rid of fragrances that don't seem to be working at the moment, that I should just wait. Do not throw them away. Store the "offending" scent, where it can't be seen. The last time I wore Signorina Misteriosa I thought-- I'm never going to wear this stuff again. And now, I can't get enough of it. Dark berry-sweet; candy-like, but a hint of floral freshness; and a touch of a very tamed, silky patchouli. Signorina Misteriosa is now my perfect "new" before-bed fragrance. It gives me that "here is a hot comforting drink/time to climb into the freshly laundered crisp sheets" feeling. And- that's nice. It gets a touch sweeter, but not luridly so, in the dry down. It has a very long life as a vanilla/berry comforting skin scent. I could smell it on my arm, easily, the next morning. It's really yummy. Definitely recommended for blackberry lovers with a sweet tooth. Finally, the blackberry is a main note that lasts on me, not like the disappointments with Falling in Love and Trish McAvoy No. 9. Both of those are lovely fragrances, but neither had half the wear time I'm enjoying with Signorina Misteriosa. Both are also much less lush and sweet. I love when I find a forgotten fragrance, and can celebrate it all over again. It's all the fun of getting a new scent, minus the cost, and the wait for it to be delivered. Win-win!

Mmm dark intoxicating beauty. Bubblegummy tuberose dream in a basket full of blackberries and green leaves. Im a dreamer, I live in a bubble and perfumes like this one help me escape. When I wear this, I picture a lady with tiny white flowers on her rosegold hair, she's in a white sparkly medieval dress and she's walking next to her black horse, both exploring an enchanted forest where the leaves and the berries are all candied, and she's touching everything that shines under the moonlight. Very unique scent. As a whole it is not overly sweet on me. Many reviews made me think twice about buying it, but Im glad I bought it. Dark aromatic berry/floral sweetness with a touch of herbal spice (patchouli).. To me this is mysterious indeed. The opening is phenomenal. Brighter and sweet like bubblegum the first 30 mins and then darker, slightly peppery, sweet-sour with a touch of greenIm also not getting James Bond 007 at all.. James Bond 007 is one of my beloved, favorite perfumes, much like a colder, milky Hot Couture EDT, intense bergamot, gardenia and black pepper, very lactonic! Misteriosa on me has the barbie-doll sweetness of KKW NIght Iris at first, it is almost rubbery here if that makes sense. Must be the tuberose and blackberry. This type of sweetness mainly I am getting from the projection, mixed with the subtle sourness of the candied berry accord, similar to the berry sweetness of Midnight Fantasy, not as juvenile and happy. Its drydown is reminiscent of Midnight Fantasy but with more spice, darker like Dark Kiss. Some berry tartness is still prominent after 2 hours, a soft whisper. I instantly detect the patchouli, it is almost minty and fizzy here with the milk mouse, blended with a beautiful sweet peppery orange blossom, the kind I find in Black Opium. There is a subtle masculine vibe here on my skin after about 15 mins, from the milk mousse. Its last stage is mainly patchouli, milk mouse and the orange blossom on me with some traces of tuberose and blackberry. Sweet, dark, peppery/fizzy. Paris Hilton Luxe rush also has milk mousse, patch and tuberose, and some guys consider it unisex. This is not unisex though, it is feminine. It is just dark with some "cold" spice to it. Also not too milky on me, but more spicy and subtly green. I consider it same league as KKW Night Iris, Britney's Midnight Fantasy and the darker woodier than MF, Dark Kiss. This is new and unique to me and I love it! I find that it smells heavier/heady on my mom's oily skin, but I have pasty dry skin so maybe why the notes are in such harmony.

This is a confusing fragrance. The longer you wait, the nicer it gets. It’s a pretty long wait. Is it worth it? (Edit, 2/13/2022: yes. Yes, it is.) Signorina Misteriosa starts off as a big blast of (pleasant) floral fabric softener. The neroli and orange blossom lead the charge. Fancy little soaps in an elegant hotel bathroom come to mind. There is the sense that the sweeter aspects of the fragrance are waiting in the distance, behind the floral notes. I find Signorina Misteriosa to be- odd. It feels like it can’t decide what it is. Perhaps during its conception, there was a massive, tabletop pounding argument between the floral/crisp camp, and the fruity/sweet contingent. “Brisk and refreshing!” “No! Candy-like and juicy!” After a few minutes something fruity does arrive, but you can’t tell what notes are there. The white florals and the patchouli have formed a defensive ring around this unidentifiable fruit. The fruit-ness could be a distillation of different citruses that have been reduced into a concentrated extract to add to candles, or, yes— soap. And fabric softener. I adore blackberry in perfumes. I have yet to find the “ultimate” blackberry scent. Falling in Love by Philosophy is nice, but the EDT lasts all of ten minutes on me, if that. Trish McAvoy #9 is also nice, and also super fleeting. Every blackberry fragrance I have come across, frustratingly, proves to be fugitive on me. And the blackberry note invariably has musk as a companion. I find that the sharp soapy nature of the musk cancels out the blackberry’s fruity juiciness. I don’t want an aloof soapy blackberry. I want a come-hither, jammy fruit cobbler kind of blackberry. “Misteriosa” could be an allusion to the blackberry, as in- where is it? Blackberry is the reason I blind bought Signorina Misteriosa. I had read many reviews praising its blackberry-ness. I was so excited to try it. At that first eager spray, I cringed. No blackberry, but that expensive floral fabric softener. Blackberry- are you in there? Irritatingly, the longer I waited, the softer and nicer Signorina Misteriosa became. I wear it only rarely because of the opening. If I do give it another shot, I apply it, then sort of forget about it. In an hour or so, I think- hey- what smells so nice? And by the time the blackberry and “milk mousse” and vanilla “husk” have finally shown up, Signora Misteriosa has faded almost entirely away. To me, it’s just not worth the wait. If soapy, white floral, slightly fruity scents are your favorites, I would definitely give Signorina Misteriosa a try.

definitely all berries and cream like the person before me said, but that was kind of exactly what i was looking for so i really love it lol if i had to describe it i would say it's kind of like eating a vanilla mousse with blackberry in a garden... the florals and patchouli are there but the vanilla is very strong. i wouldn't say it smells "edible" as a whole but the vanilla definitely feels like it, the mousse/cream makes a big difference to me in setting it apart from other vanilla perfumes i've tried. on me the berries linger a bit and florals get pretty weak on the drydown, and after that it's a pretty linear sweet scent. it's nothing super complex, but sometimes i don't really want complex so i've been really enjoying it. sillage and longevity have been pretty good imo. i sprayed it really lightly in my elbow when i first tried it and i think i could smell it without bringing it anywhere close to my face for the next 3-4 hours. even after that it still projected a little bit. unfortunately the vanilla starts to feel less creamy over time, but i guess that's to be expected. reviews say it's a good fragrance for winter and i think they're probably correct, but i did wear this on 90 degree weather and still enjoyed it. it didn't get cloying or weird at all. i think as long as you don't go crazy with it you could wear it anytime. probably don't spray it too close to your face if you want to wear it when it's hot though.

This particular perfume and I have had an interesting journey together. It was one of the first ones I got when I started my collection back in July of this year. I got it because of the vanilla and berries and cream. All the things a gourmand-fiend would want. Upon first few sprays, all I got was powdery-ness. I was quite disappointed that I had ended up with something that just smelled powdery. I put it away in the cupboard I keep my collection in (away from sunlight) and would periodically take it out and spritz myself with it before bed (I have one perfume for the day time, and one for after I shower just before bed. I never wear the same scent two days in a row). I live in Taiwan and it’s stupidly humid here all the damn time. This week, the temperature has dropped a bit and it seems that things are finally cooling down. Usually, the daily all-day sweats start at sunrise in April and continue all the way through August and sometimes as late as December. So, imagine my surprise when I sprayed myself with Signorina Misteriosa before bed the other night and smelled a whole different perfume than before. I get it now. I smell all that delicious vanilla, berries and cream that had been in the bottle all along but had been kept down by the oppressive heat and humidity. This one has jumped up to the top 10 in terms of my favorites. It’s definitely a cooler weather perfume!